How to Change Your Apple ID Account Settings on Your iPhone

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There are a few important things to know before you start changing things on your Apple account. We’ll walk you through how to change your Apple ID password, email, phone number, and more, and we’ll also discuss some of the pros and cons of changing this information. Please note that if you received an Apple ID disabled error message, you'll need to troubleshoot that prior to continuing with the steps in this article.

Jump To:

• How Do I Find My Apple ID Settings?
• How to Change Your Name & Birthday on Your Apple ID
• How to Change Your Apple ID
  • Can I Use My Phone Number as My Apple ID?
  • How Do I Change My Apple ID Email?
• How to Change Your Apple ID Password
• How to Change Your Apple Account Payment Method & Address

How Do I Find My Apple ID Settings?

First we'll go over how to find your Apple ID in the Settings app so that you can change the settings as you see fit.

1. Open the Settings app.
   
   
    
2. Tap on your Apple ID profile at the top.
   
   
    
3. You'll see a list of menus called Name, Phone Numbers, Email, Password & Security, Payment & Shipping, and Subscriptions.
   
   
    
4. Below these menus you'll see menus for iCloud, Media & Purchases, Find My, and Family Sharing.
   
   
    
5. Next on the screen you'll see a list of the Apple devices that are part of your account.

Each of these menu items will have an arrow on them, indicating that you can tap on them for more details. It’s best to go through the different menus to see what you can do in each. There are a lot of different settings you have convenient access to from the main Apple ID screen.

Now that you know how to access these menus, we'll move on to what you can edit in each menu and how to do so without compromising your account.

How to Change Your Name & Birthday on Your Apple ID

This menu is a little tricky, as certain changes can affect your account access and how you're contacted. Most of this information will be pre-filled according to your Apple ID account information, but you can edit your name and birthday without affecting much. If you're interested in changing your Apple ID (including your email address), we'll cover that in the next section.

To change your name and birth date on your Apple ID account:

1. Open the Settings app.
   
   
    
2. Tap on your Apple ID profile at the top.
   
   
    
3. Tap on Name, Phone Numbers, Email.
   
   
    
4. To change your name, tap your name at the top.
   
   
    
5. Tap into the name section you want to edit and make your changes. 
6. Tap Done to save your changes.
   
   
    
7. To change your birth date, tap into the Birthday section.
   
   
    
8. Spin the number wheels until you've set it to the correct date.
9. Tap Done to save your changes.
   
   

How to Change Your Apple ID

Here's where things get a little tricky. There are limitations to what can be used as an Apple ID, and the process to change an Apple ID can be tricky. The next two sections will answer some Apple ID FAQs, and show you how to change your Apple ID if needed.

Related: How to Set Up & Create an Apple ID for a Child Under 13

Can You Use Your Phone Number as Your Apple ID?

According to Apple, you can set your phone number as your Apple ID, but only if your live in India or mainland China. For most users, the Apple ID will be an email address linked to their Apple ID account.

How Do I Change My Apple ID Email?

If you can no longer use an email account that is on your Apple ID, you'll need to update your account to reflect the new email address. Purchases and other data on your account will not be affected by this change; you'll still have access to them.

Apple's recommended steps for this process are as follows:

1. Go to appleid.apple.com and sign in using your current Apple ID login information.
2. Select Account.
   
   
    
3. Select Change Apple ID.
   
   
    
4. Make your desired change to your email address.
5. Select Next.
   
   
    
6. Check your email for a verification code, and enter that code into the appropriate spot on the Apple ID account page.
7. Your email address change will be confirmed if successful.
8. Tap Done.
   
   

You will need to sign back in to iCloud and other services with your new Apple ID login information, but on devices already logged in, your email address should already be updated. If you created an @icloud.com email address and are trying to use that as your Apple ID email, you may not be able to make the change until 30 days after you've signed up for the iCloud email account. This is a security measure.

How to Change Your Apple ID Password

You can change your Apple ID password at any time. Follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app.
   
   
    
2. Tap on your Apple ID profile at the top.
   
   
    
3. Tap on Password & Security.
   
   
    
4. Tap on Change Password.
   
   
    
5. Enter your passcode if prompted.
   
   
    
6. Enter a new password and the re-enter it on the second line.
7. Tap Change in the upper-right corner.
   
   
    
8. Select either Sign Out Other Devices or Don't Sign Out depending on your preference.
   
   

If you selected Sign Out Other Devices, you'll need to sign in using your new login information on your other Apple devices in order to grant them access to your Apple account again. If you selected Don't Sign Out, don't be alarmed if you do still see prompts to sign in to update your login information on other devices. You will likely also see emails or other notifications alerting you to a new sign-on on certain devices. If the activity makes sense according to the changes you've been making to your account, you can ignore these alerts.

How to Change Your Apple Account Payment Method & Address

If you've moved or need to update or change your payment method for your Apple account, you can make those changes within the Apple ID menu in the Settings app.

1. Open the Settings app.
   
   
    
2. Tap on your Apple ID profile at the top.
   
   
    
3. Tap on Payment & Shipping.
   
   
    
4. To remove a payment method, tap Edit in the upper-right corner.
   
   
    
5. Tap the red minus icon to delete the payment method, then tap Done.
   
   
    
6. To add a payment method, tap Add Payment Method.
   
   
    
7. Select the payment method type you want to add.
   
   
    
8. Fill in the details, then tap Done.
   
   
    
9. To add an address, tap Add Shipping Address.
10. Fill in the address details, then tap Done.
11. To edit or delete an address, tap on the address you wish to edit.
    
    
     
12. Make your changes, then tap Done.
    
    

There’s quite a bit more you can access from the Apple ID menu. One of my favorite things about it is the ability to see what iPhone model you have without needing your model number. Take a few minutes to explore, and you’ll get an idea of when accessing this menu is ideal.